Geoponika: Agricultural Pursuits, translated from Greek by Thomas Owen in two volumes: this is volume 1 (London, 1805), in 347 searchable pdf pages.  This unusual and undervalued work was prepared for the mid-10th century Byzantine emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus. Geoponica/Geoponika is a compilation on agricultural topics based on the writings of earlier authors, some extending back to Roman and Hellenistic times. In addition to discussions of gardening, there are entries on medicinal wines, thunder divination (brontoscopy), and other remarkable topics. The work became widely known in the Aegean and Middle East during the 10-13th centuries through translations from the Greek original into Syriac, Pahlavi, and Arabic. Book digitized by Google and uploaded by Robert Bedrosian.

plus-circle Add Review

comment

Reviews